Never Thought I Would Meet You
by Bellarsam Chrisjulittle
Summary: Prequel to "Blinking Into The Sun." A few hours after she is born, Tina bonds with her firstborn. Newt soon joins them to complete the new family. A little fic for Mother's Day in the USA.


Porpentina Esther Scamander had never felt more exhausted in her entire life. As a trained and experienced auror, this was certainly saying something. But this time, the young woman didn't care about the state of her body at all. She was much too happy to think about that.

And the source of that happiness was cradled in her arms.

As her newborn child found and then latched on to her breast, Tina gave a radiant smile. "You did it, peanut!" she breathed. "You're such a good girl already!"

The tiny baby, only a few hours old, responded to this praise by greedily taking her first meal from her mother. Tina shut her eyes for a moment and savored the word in her mind: _Mother_. She was a mother! And it felt… _wonderful_.

Outside, the June twilight had faded into a June night. The midwife from St. Mungo's had just left, and Newt was composing some brief but joyful letters to send off to his parents, his brother, and the Kowalski family across the Atlantic. This was the first time that Tina and her baby were alone together. Tina felt as though the air around the two of them was full and warm, wrapping them in a precious cocoon that felt more wonderful than the best of magical spells.

Tina managed to tear her gaze away from her baby when she felt a lovely breeze come in through the bedroom window, which was open halfway. Looking through the glass panes, Tina smiled. "The stars are out tonight," she murmured. "Not a common occurrence in England. I'm glad they're out tonight."

Not able to keep her gaze away from her daughter for too long, Tina looked away from the window and back down at her daughter. "Shall I tell you what your name means, Miss Phoebe Ruth Scamander? I don't mind telling you that your father and I didn't take the matter lightly. You are a rare breed, peanut, and a beautiful one. Not only did we want your name to reflect where you came from, but for your name to have meaning. So, we thought and we talked for a while, and I think what we decided is just right.

"Your first name, 'Phoebe,' is an English version of a Greek name. Just like your father's family; they emigrated from Greece to England a long time ago. It means 'pure' and 'bright.' Your father says it was the name of a Greek goddess associated with the moon. And your middle name, Ruth, comes from my family and heritage. It was your grandmother's name, and she would have… _loved_ you so much."

Tina had to clear her throat and blink before continuing.

"In Hebrew, it means 'friend.' I'm very glad of that, and so is your father. He had a truly wonderful insight about that, which makes this name all the more perfect for you. As parents, it will be our job to teach you so many things. One of the most important lessons we will teach you is to be a friend, to beasts and beings alike. If we succeed in that, peanut, then we've done our jobs, as far as I'm concerned."

Before Tina could say anything else, her baby girl lifted a little hand and rested it on her chest, just over her heart, still feeding from her breast. The new mother felt tears fill her eyes and her heart fill even more. Lowering her head a bit, Tina let her lips brush the top of the baby's head; there was a little, light patch of hair that exactly matched Newt's color.

"I've waited so long to meet you, peanut," Tina murmured, her voice thick with emotion. "For a while, I didn't think I would. Between Queenie and me, I was always the career girl. I always knew that she would eventually get married and have a family; if anybody is fit for that role like a glove, it's Queenie. But then your father came into my life, and everything changed. And thank Morrigan for that!"

Tina lifted the little hand resting on her chest and kissed it, keeping eye contact with her daughter. "I love you so much," she breathed before kissing the little hand again.

Then, Tina became aware that someone was watching the pair of them. Looking up from Phoebe, she saw Newt standing in the bedroom doorway. He was staring at them with such a look of rapture on his face, but seemed unsure as to whether he dared to intrude upon this lovely tableau. Tina was reminded strongly of the day they'd met, when Queenie had made dinner for him and Jacob. After the meal was ready, he'd stood apart from the three of them, looking just as awkward and endearing. It had taken her reassuring him that she wouldn't poison him to get him to sit down!

Looking at him now, years later and in entirely different (and better) circumstances, Tina smiled at him radiantly. "Get over here, Papa," she encouraged.

Newt didn't need to be told twice. A radiant smile of his own lighting his face, Newt hurried to the bed but was careful as he climbed onto it and scooched towards his wife and baby. Nestled against her side, his arm wrapping around her shoulders, Newt laid his head against Tina's shoulder as he watched her feed their daughter.

"All of the letters sent off with the happy announcement?" asked Tina, resting her cheek against the crown of Newt's head.

"Yes," replied Newt. With his free hand, his fingers tenderly held Phoebe's little foot sticking out from the blanket she was wrapped in. "I'm sure that Mummy and Father will come tomorrow, Theseus too if he isn't working. And I'm sure Queenie and Jacob will receive their letter before the week is over."

"Good," said Tina. She gave a little grunt when Phoebe began suckling a little more vigorously. Tina laughed softly as she looked down at her daughter. "It's a strange sensation, but I wouldn't change it for anything."

When Tina felt some moisture soak through the fabric of her nightgown covering her shoulder, Tina turned her head to look at her husband. Sure enough, his cheeks were wet as he continued to gaze at their newborn daughter and trace her toes with his fingers. "Newt?" she said gently, though the sight of his tears did raise concern in her mind.

He looked up at her with his heart in his bright eyes. "Forgive me, Tina…it's just that I…I once thought that I would never have… _this._ "

Relieved, Tina smiled and touched her forehead to his. "I know," she said. "Neither did I. And now look…she's finally here!"

They both looked at their daughter, who was finally finished with her feeding and twisted her head away with a little cry. Newt, pulling himself together, helped Tina fasten the front of her nightgown before Tina brought Phoebe to rest against the shoulder he'd just been resting his head on.

"My beautiful girls," Newt murmured, kissing Phoebe's head and then Tina's lips. "What did I ever do to deserve such happiness?"

"You get all of the happiness that you give, my love," whispered Tina, giving him a kiss of her own.

Then, both turned their attention back to their baby girl, each gently patting her back until she let out a tiny burp. Both couldn't help but laugh at the funny sound, and soon the baby was once again in the cradle of her mother's arms.

And Newt, noticing how their baby girl was staring entranced at Tina, caressed her tiny feet again and thought:

 _That's right, Phoebe Ruth Scamander. You have the most beautiful, strong, and amazing mummy in the whole world._


End file.
